(computing) In the context of computerhardware, a device for entering data into a computer or a communications system and/or displaying data received, especially a device equipped with a keyboard and some sort of textualdisplay.

From Frenchterminal, from Late Latin terminalis (“pertaining to a boundary or to the end, terminal, final"), from Latinterminus (“a bound, boundary, limit, end"); see term, terminus.

terminal - Computer Definition

A device that constitutes a point of termination of a communications circuit or channel, i.e., a transmitter or receiver, also known respectively as a source or sink.

In telecommunications, a voice terminal is a telephone set, which can take many forms, including a simple analog rotary dial set, a digital smartphone, a digital softphone, and a cellular telephone.

In data communications, a device comprising a keyboard, video adapter, and monitor. A data terminal is a dumb terminal, i.e., it does no independent processing, but relies on the computational resources of a computer to which it is connected over a dedicated circuit or through a network. A data terminal essentially is an input/output (I/O) device. See also DTE and terminal emulation.

(1) An input/output (I/O) device for a computer that has a keyboard and mouse for input and a video screen for output. Older terminals did not have a mouse and used a printer for output. See dumb terminal and ATM machine.

(2) Any entrance or exit node for input or output; for example, a scanner or camera for input or a monitor or printer for output.

(3) A connector used to attach a wire. The wire is fastened by pressure, by a clip of some type or by tightening a screw. See bindings.

(4) (Terminal) A command line interface on a Unix-based computer. The following example from a Mac OS X computer shows two commands; one that switches the current folder (directory) to the desktop and another that lists the files that begin with "X."
Function Unix Command
Change directory to desktop cd desktop
List files beginning with X ls X*

The Terminal Window

The two commands required to list files that begin with "X" on the desktop are shown in this Mac example.